Bought a 16.5' Bass Boat last weekend. First NEW boat in my life. It has 2 live-wells, rod lockers, a 70hp Merc, cup holders, seats and poles and not much else.
So far I purchased:
• 2 Locators - for front and bow by trolling motor
• Trolling motor and mounting brackets
• Dual Bank Charger
• Batteries
• Boat Bumpers
• Docking Lines
• Life Jackets - 2 Suspender types and jackets for guest and DNR wardens I may meet
•I am looking at Anchor winches, but may just do old school crank ups until a future season when I have more funds. I have spent a fortune. The MinnKota Deckhands are also WAY to big for the small triangle the Trolling motor is on in the bow. I might just put one in back so I can hit a switch and head to the front.
• I need anchors, looking at 17lb Navy Style cause, my old, beat up and broken back doesn't want to lift the 20+ pounders more than I have to.
•I am thinking of adding Live Well Timers so I don't have to run them constantly.
What else am I not thinking of? What do you guys recommend?
If
Bought a Boat - What all do I need???
Regarding the anchors, anchors of a "grippy" style work well with less need for a lot of weight. In most weather conditions, 17 pounds is probably plenty, even in a non-grippy style. I find that a single 8-pound mushroom anchor holds my 14' boat just fine unless the wind is strong, even on a clean hard bottom, so I often take a pair of lightweight anchors instead of the bigger ones if the weather is favorable.
Since you are looking to save money, how about skipping the anchor winches? All you really need is a way to store the rope. What I grew up doing, and still do, is cut a piece of plywood about 18" long and 5" to 6" wide, and cut a deep, wide notch in each end. This makes a dandy spool for storing anchor lines. Winding line off and on may induce a twist (envison what happens when coiling and uncoling long extension cords unless you alternately reverse the "lay" of the coils), so if twist builds up too much, just alternate which side your are winding or unwinding the line from accordingly, to undo whatever twist you see (experiment with this if you can't picture it).
I understand the mindset of those who rely on Spot Lock and never anchor anymore, but if you are bait fishing in a particular position for an extended time, nothing beats keeping your entire boat perfectly stationary with two anchors (no slight wandering of the boat or spinning around by the bow during variable or calm winds, etc.). I fish a lot on still water for catfish and a perfectly stationary boat is necessary to keep a consistent connection with each bait on multiple lines.
I bought two new anchors and new ropes last year for my new Alumacraft Competitor FSX 185. After I tried spot lock on the new Terrova, I have not even taken these items out of the box. I suppose it is a good idea to have an anchor for emergency issues, but I hate to take up boat space for something I won't use.
Basic First aid kit- you can build your own- band aids, trauma gauze, coband, triple anti biotic ointment, ibuprophen.
spare prop for main motor and trolling motor, floating prop wrench, 7" 2x4
spare fuses, spare wire terminals, electric wire striper/crimper
rainsuits, headlamp
